by Mike Walter
I got engaged two months ago to my long time girlfriend, Kelly. So now begins the fun and exciting process of planning our wedding (don’t read sarcasm into that, I am actually looking forward to it).
One of the reasons this process promises to be fun and exciting, as well as educating for me, is that I finally get to be on the receiving end of so much communication that I am normally sending.
Dealing with Venues from the “Other Side”
Already, Kelly and I have contacted and met with a number of locations that we are considering for our reception. Seeing how these facilities handle their initial contact, their follow up (or lack thereof) and their actual face to face appointments has been an eye-opener. And more importantly it tells me we are doing something right at Elite Entertainment.
For example, when a contact calls we have a number of pre-designed PDFs that we can email them to answer many of their questions and concerns. Also, with the help of Troy Ackerman’s DJ Event Planner, we have a plan in place for consistent follow up.
Kelly and I, on the other hand, have spoken to a few banquet people once and not received one email or phone call in return. “Playing hard to get” might work in high school dating but to me it’s not an effective sales strategy.
Now, I should add that many of the locations we are considering are not your traditional banquet halls that do a lot of weddings and therefore have a codified sales approach.
I know this seems foolish, since I have so many great relationships with so many awesome locations. But if Kelly and I are going to throw a party for our wedding, I’d rather do it at a place I don’t work at all the time.
Every Girl’s Crazy ‘Bout a Sharp Dressed Man
So we’ve been disappointed a bit in the sales approach from these places. However, on the other end of the spectrum is an experience Kelly had recently with a dress shop. First, a brief introduction: Kelly is a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate and she has a keen eye and a confident sense of what looks good on herself and on others. In fact if you’ve seen me do a seminar in the past 6 years and thought, “Wow Mike’s a sharp dresser” what you really should be thinking is “Wow, good thing Mike has Kelly to dress him.”
So as I expected, one of Kelly’s first tasks after saying “Yes” to my proposal, was to locate “the perfect wedding dress.” She found a picture of it online, tracked down the designer and then found a dress shop close to us that carries this designer’s line. All this led us to Kleinfeld in New York City.
Can You Believe This?
Eager to try the dress on, Kelly contacted Kleinfeld and this is the part of story that made my jaw drop in awe. The first weekend appointment Kelly could get was 6 weeks away. Plus, it was explained to her, she needed to leave a credit card to book the appointment. There’d be no charge if she showed up but if she canceled, her card would be billed for $50.
Think about that for a second. Imagine the demand for your services, and the urgency that this bespeaks, if you had clients who would wait 6 weeks to meet with you. And on top of that, willing to secure their appointments with a credit card. I’m not sure I ever want Elite to be that elitist but it would certainly be nice to have the option.
My Holiday Special to You!
By the way, with the Holidays approaching, I’d like to just mention that if you are looking for a great gift for a DJ on your list, my book “Running Your Multi-Op” is available for the low, low price of $25 (shipping included.) Since its release in May I’ve gotten excellent feedback and reviews and I am confident that anyone you gave this to would appreciate it and benefit from it.
This is my 12th and final monthly post of the year on this awesome website. I wish you a very happy and healthy Holidays and I look forward to checking back in 2012.
Mike Walter – Multi-Op Corner
Mike Walter is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of DJ staff training and multi-system business development.
He is also a writer for Disc Jockey News and Producer of the International DJ Expo’s “DJ of the Year” competition.
Mike is the owner of NJ’s Elite Entertainment, selected by The Knot and Modern Bride magazine as one of the country’s top entertainment companies.
To contact him about his on-site training services or for general inquiries, email [email protected].
Mike’s new book, Running Your Multi-Op, and his highly praised DVD set, Training Your Next Great DJ, are available at DJMikeWalter.com.
